


Green Fire

by Toad1



Series: A Horse With No Name [4]
Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance, The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: Gen, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-10 21:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4408307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toad1/pseuds/Toad1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Scarecrow officials announce a raid on Zone One, Cherri Cola sneaks Kobra Kid and Party Poison to an island off the coast of California. But is that enough to guarantee their safety?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Green Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had a dream the other night where Cherri smuggled Poison and Kobra to an island off the coast of California. Most of my dreams are pretty nonsensical, but I thought that was a good idea for a fic.

Water splashed up around the boat as it sliced through the waves. Party Poison gripped the edge of the boat, his hair whipping around his face. A soaring exhilaration swooped through his stomach. Sparkling blue water stretched to the horizon, more water than he had known existed. After miles of sand and dry pavement, he felt like he had stepped into a dream. The rocky cliffs of the island loomed ahead like a towering castle.

Poison turned back to Kobra, who was sitting in the middle of the boat among the supply boxes. He fiddled absently with the prayer beads on his wrist. His expression was distant. Poison’s mouth became a thin line, the exhilaration sinking away. He sat down beside him and patted his shoulder. The boat hummed and vibrated around them.

“We’re almost there,” Cherri Cola shouted above the engine. “When we hit the beach, I’ll need you guys to get out and help me pull it to shore.”

“Got it,” Poison shouted back. The island was close enough that he could see the beach. Suddenly he realized that this was the first time in his adulthood that he’d been outside the Zones. Another shiver of exhilaration shot through him, tinged with fear.

When the boat pulled up to island, Cherri shut off the motor. The brothers jumped out and helped him drag the boat up the beach, seawater slapping around their legs. They pulled it up to the cliff face and parked it against the rocks. A thick carpet of grasses covered the rocky shelf around them. Poison trudged back to the water and splashed some on his face, running his hands through his hair. The air felt cool against his skin.

Suddenly he spotted something glinting in the grass a few feet away. Poison picked it up, then stopped. Fear washed over him like a sudden chill. He looked frantically at Kobra and Cherri, too stunned to speak. They abandoned the boxes and hurried over.

“What is it?” Cherri said. “What did you find?”

Poison handed it to him. It was a plastic white bottle printed with the Better Living logo. When Kobra saw the printing, his face went pale.

“Someone’s been here, man,” Poison said. “Maybe they’re still here. We can’t stay here. We’ve gotta leave.”

Cherri turned the bottle around in his hands. Poison held his breath.

“Wait,” Cherri said. “No. Hang on. This isn’t from the city.”

“You sure?” Poison said.

“Yeah. It’s printed in Japanese.” He held up the bottle so Poison and Kobra could see. “The logo’s different, too. See? That’s the Japanese logo.”

Poison took the bottle back and studied it. Unlike bottles from Battery City, it was printed entirely in Japanese, with a variation on the Better Living logo. He turned it over and found a Japanese flag stamped on the bottom.

“People bring them into the shop sometimes,” Cherri said. “A lot of trash from Japan has been washing up onshore.”

“Yeah?” Kobra said. “Did something happen?”

“Don’t know,” Cherri said. “Tom asked around. He got someone to tell him that there was an incident, but that’s all he’s heard.”

After a few moments of silence, they headed back to the boat. Poison balanced the bottle on the prow. They unloaded the boxes, then unpacked a khaki army tent and started setting it up. By the time the tent was finished, the bottle cast a long shadow across the sand.

While Cherri opened a can of beans with his pocketknife, Poison walked down the beach. The sun hovered over the ocean, casting a rippling orange light in the waves. The darkening sky made the sea look greyish. He bent down and started pulling up handfuls of dry grass.

“Hey,” Kobra said. “What are you doing?”

“Building a fire,” Poison said. “We’ve gotta get one started before sundown.”

“We can’t build a fire, man,” Kobra said. “Remember? The Crows’ll see the smoke.”

Poison stopped. “Oh,” he said. “Yeah. Shit.”

He looked down at the grasses in his hand, then tossed them into the water. They scattered across the surface like matchsticks, bobbing in the waves.

“I think Cherri’s working on dinner,” Kobra said. “You want something to eat?”

Poison shook his head, wiping blades of grass off his palms. “I’m not hungry,” he said.

“Neither am I,” Kobra said.

They watched Cherri for a moment. Methodically, he took apart his ray gun like a soldier. Then he placed the can on the glowing orange charger.

“I don’t know how he can eat,” Kobra said. “My stomach is still in knots.”

“Yeah, mine too,” Poison said. “I wish we could just call the guys, you know?”

“Yeah, so do I. I keep wanting to grab my transmitter, but…” He shook his head. “God, I hope they’re safe.”

Poison nodded wordlessly and patted his shoulder. They stood quietly for a while, watching the waves lap against the shore. The silence rang in Poison’s ears like a disconnected phone line. Zone One could have erupted in chaos, and here they stood and watched the waves.

“Hey,” Poison said quietly. “Let’s check the radio.”

They trudged back over to the boat. Poison anxiously wrung his hands as Kobra dug the radio from one of the boxes. Cherri stopped eating and watched them. Even the insects seemed to stop humming.

Kobra switched on the radio. Static blasted from the speakers, sending a shiver of anxiety through Poison’s body. As Kobra turned the knob back and forth, Poison held his breath, hoping for a burst of music or talk. But every channel crackled with static. The waves were dead.

Dread washed over the beach like a tidal wave. The three men looked at each other, too stunned to speak. Before they turned on the radio, it was still a question. But here was irrefutable proof that the Scarecrow raids had begun. Kobra switched off the radio, and they stood there in silence.

“Come on,” Poison said, his voice shaky. “Let’s get inside the tent.”

—

Poison sat huddled in the tent with Cherri and Kobra silhouetted in front of him. As night had fallen, the light had grown darker and darker until they could barely see each other’s faces. Cherri had offered to turn on a lantern, but Poison declined. He imagined a Scarecrow unit pinpointing the island, guided by a tiny flickering light near the rock face.

Every nerve in Poison’s body was taut with anxiety. Acid bubbled in his empty stomach. He was so focused on the radio that it had become a blur, fearing that if he looked up, he would see a shadow pass over the tent. With every passing second his mind twisted in agony, as if each minute brought them closer to the Scarecrow unit’s inevitable arrival.

“Do you know where Chow Mein is?” Kobra said finally, breaking the silence. Poison suspected that he was looking for a distraction.

Cherri cleared his throat. “He’s in Zone Three,” he said. “The Vs found him a spot in a neutral town.”

“I wouldn’t worry about him,” Poison said. “If the ‘Crows showed up, he’d talk his way out of it.”

Kobra laughed weakly. “Yeah,” he said. “He’d do a business deal. He could probably sell them their own guns.”

The three of them laughed hollowly. Poison fidgeted with his hands.

“Ghoul and Jet are somewhere in Two,” Poison said. “Hot Chimp didn’t tell us where. I think she drove them to the caves.”

“Did she?” Cherri said. “That’s a good place to hide.”

“Yeah. I hope so.”

Silence fell again. Poison rubbed his eyes, feeling strained and desperate. The stress weighed down on him like a fifty-pound weight strapped to his back. _Oh God, please, just let us make it out of this night alive._

“Hey,” Cherri said quietly. “Do you want me to pray?”

Poison glanced over at Kobra. They both nodded. Poison reached for Kobra’s hand and squeezed it tightly. He closed his eyes as Cherri started to speak.

“ _Phoenix Witch, Guardian of Souls,_  
_Give us one more night in your bountiful desert._  
_Save us from the ones who wish to enslave us,_  
_And protect the souls of those who have been returned to the city._  
_Spare us so that we may fulfill your will,_  
_And spread your goodness across the desert._  
_Help us bring peace to the Zones as you bring peace to the wandering souls._  
_In the name of the Witch and the Holy Spirit,_  
_Amen_.”

Poison opened his eyes and looked up. Some of the tension had drained away, like air seeping out of a balloon. Kobra’s eyes were still closed, his brow furrowed, as if he was deep in prayer. His hand was sweaty against Poison’s palm. Poison closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The tent seemed to enclose them like a security blanket.

Suddenly there was a shriek outside like a high-pitched whistle. Poison jumped to his feet and ripped his gun from his holster. “Go!” he shouted to Kobra, who was scrambling to his feet. “Go! Run!”

“Wait!” Cherri said. “No! Hold on!”

Cherri burst out of the tent, with Poison and Kobra hurrying behind. A green light had been fired into the sky. The light was small enough that it must have been fired from the coast. It reflected in the water like a shining emerald.

“They’re shooting off flares!” Cherri said. “It’s green! The raids are over!”

Poison stared numbly at the light, not daring to believe it. Another shriek cut through the air, followed by a yellow light that burst into the sky among a funnel of smoke.

“Yellow,” Cherri said. “Yellow means they found who they were looking for.”

Another shriek. A red light ripped through the sky. Poison stepped back, still holding his gun.

“Red,” Cherri said, the excitement gone from his voice. “Red means there’s been casualties.”

Poison sucked in his breath. He exchanged glances with Kobra, who wore a similar expression. But Cherri’s face was a mask of relief.

“It’s over,” he said. “The raids are over.”

They waited for a few minutes, but the sky remained dark. Then they hurried back to the tent, where Kobra grabbed the radio and switched it on. He flipped through the static until they heard a voice, a strikingly familiar voice that made Poison’s stomach swoop with relief.

“– _if you’ve found a spot, stay there_ ,” Dr. Death Defying said. “ _Pony and I have found a place in a little town we like to call Undisclosed Location. If you’ve got equipment, flip it on and start broadcasting. The waves have been dead all day, Killjoys. I want to hear them popping with your little voices_ –”

Poison, Kobra, and Cherri cheered with relief. Kobra laughed out loud. As Dr. Death’s voice filled the air, the world seemed to brighten around them. Foamy waves lapped against the sand and the moon glowed high in the sky, reflected in the glittering water like a lantern.


End file.
